A number of restaurants in Sydney’s Potts Point have voluntarily shut their businesses until the end of the week amid concerns the inner eastern suburb could be the next New South Wales (NSW) COVID-19 hotspot.
Residents were advised of two more positive cases in the suburb involving staff members from The Apollo and Thai Rock restaurants on July 27.
The cases come after another case was discovered over the weekend—a diner who attended Thai Rock.
Anyone who attended The Apollo between July 23 and July 25, or Thai Rock between July 15 and July 25 are being asked to get tested and quarantine for 14 days.
NSW Health is also asking anyone who lives in, or has visited the Potts Point area in the past two weeks to get tested if they have respiratory symptoms.
In the wake of the three recent cases in the area, a number of high-profile restaurants in the district have voluntarily closed their venues. Some have reverted to selling takeaway food only.
“As a precaution and for the safety of yourselves and our staff we have chosen to close until July 30 for a deep clean of the venue and for all of our staff to be tested,” the operators of The Roosevelt posted on Instagram.
Meanwhile, a person who visited two pubs in Sydney’s southwest while infectious has now tested positive.
NSW Health is urging staff and patrons who went to Mounties in Mount Pritchard on July 24 and 25 and the nearby Pritchard’s Hotel on July 23 to isolate for 14 days and get tested if they have symptoms.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the coming weeks will be critical for managing the recent and renewed spread of the virus, which has been linked to a second wave outbreak in Victoria.
She said NSW authorities remain on high alert.
“There’s a lot of things going right but there’s a lot of things we can’t control. It only takes one or two cases for there to be a ripple effect,” Berejiklian told the Nine Network on July 28.
Seventeen new COVID-19 cases were confirmed across NSW on July 27, bringing the total in the state to 3496.
